Brick-tongs



i UNITED STATES PATENT l OFFICE. l

DAVID RALSTON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

BRICK-Tones.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 272,320, datedFebruary 13, 183.

Application tiled December 6, 1882. (No model.)

To all uhmntt may concern Be it known that I, DAVID RALSTON, of Troy,count) of Rensselaer, State of New York, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvetnentin Tongs for Lif'tin g B'ricks,of which the followingis a specification.

My invention has reference to a device by which the fitter kinds ofbricks, while in unburned condition and still moistfrom the mold, can belifted and moved from one place to another. Heretot'ore this has beendone by meansot'whatarecallet "pellet-boards,which are short pieces ot'board having cleats on the outer face to serve as handles. The workmantakes a pollet-board in each hand, and, pressingl them against thelonger edges of a brick, holds the latter between them, and can 'thuslit't and move it. Considerable trouble, however,is experienced in thisoperatiomfor there is liabilityot pressing the brick unequally, and thisresults in distorting it and putting it out of shape, which is fatal topressed brick and other tiner qualities ot' brick. Besides, the workmanhas ,no certainty of getting a firm hold on the brick, and must use bothhands to perform the operation. l ln a few instances it has been essayedto use boards hinged together vsomewhat after the fashion ot' tongs; butthe devices suggested for the purpose have been cumbersome, unwieldy,and expensive, and havenotbeenadaptedtorindustrial'use. With a viewtoremoving these and other objections, I have devised brick-tongs bymeans ot' which the workman can handle bricks with Acelerity withoutdanger of crushing or distorting them,

and which, at the same time, are very simple and inexpensive, and can bemanipulated and used with entire ease. This device can best be explainedand'understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe tongs. Fig. 2 is an end view of thetongs, showing a brick clamped between the boards, hereinafterdescribed.

which is abouttour and one-halt' inches. When the boardsare in thisposition, (indicated in Fig. 2,) the ends otl the legsB above the pivota slightly diverge, as indicated in the same gure. The upper end of eachleg terminates in a hook, d, which forms a tinger-piece, and thus, whenthe tongs are applied to a brick and the legs are takenin the hand, byputting one iinger under each hook d, the brick can then be lifted withgreat facility, for the boards press evenly against the longer edges ofthe brick, and the tendency of the instrument, when suspended by thebooks d, is to cause the upper ends ot' the legs to close together, andthus to tighten the hold of the tongs on the brick.

The device, as a whole, is simple and cheap, can be readily made,and hasproven entirely effective in practice. t l

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I Thehereinbefore-described brick-ton gs, consistingof the boards Aand thepivoted legs B, provided with hooks or linger-pieces d, these partsbeing constructed and arranged together as herein shown and set forth. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day ot'November, 1882.

DAVID RA LsToN.

